1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wireless communications; and more particularly to operations relating to the location/mobility of a wireless terminal.
2. Background of the Invention
Communication systems are well known. Communication systems include both wired communication systems and wireless communication systems. Wired communication systems include the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), Wide Area Networks (WANs), Local Area Networks (LANs), and other networks that use wired or optical media for the transmission of data. Wireless communication systems include cellular telephone systems, satellite communication systems, Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs), and other networks that employ a wireless link between a serviced terminal and a network infrastructure. Of course, many communications are serviced using a combination of wireless communication systems and wired communication systems.
Mobile navigation systems for automotive applications have become quite popular. With these automobile based navigation systems, an optical media is employed to store map information used for navigation purposes, e.g., road information, address information, etc. Such map information is quite voluminous, often requiring many CDs to store. Hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS) terminals have been available for some time and are commonly used. Due to the limited storage capabilities of many handheld terminals, storage of map segments used for navigational purposes has been limited. With such limitations, these wireless terminals were unable to provide more than minimal functionality. Further, with limited mapping ability and communication functions, these devices provided only limited usefulness. Thus, there is a need in the art for a wireless terminal having navigational capabilities that may be used to provide improved functionality.